Rockstar Guide Books

Finding content for your website or blog can seem impossibly hard.    There are actually several ways to find and get content that are pretty easy.

1.  Ask fellow bloggers.  There are bloggers who want to write guest posts, some may be your friends, or you can look for ones that have blogs are similar to yours.    You may be able to ask them for a post or two or even a regular spot.  Some bloggers will be glad to step up.

2.  Use articles from Article websites.  Ezine articles is a great place to get articles.  You can find over 300 articles I wrote just by checking my author bio. You will find fabulous articles on WordPress, online tools,  success, motivational.   You can search by the terms you need with the author name to get articles by a certain author.

3.  Check out Public Domain works.  There is a lot of good information provided by the government or older than copyright laws that is available for public use.

Live ♥ Laugh ♥ Love

MJ Schrader

Tags: articles, content

In your niche business blueprint you need to find a way to put yourself in front of people interested in your topic. Some people will tell you to create multiple sites in the niche and use different angles for each. They will write a blog post everyday, adding it to a different blog each day. While this focus allows for a lot of diversity, and allows a broader blanket, it can really spread you thin.

Single site development, this method means putting emphasis on the single site. This means developing social interaction with visitors. This one site means it is easier to share with others. Spending time to come up with beneficial posts and development of relationships is critical, which can be a disadvantage to some.

There are several different ways to cover a niche.

Live ♥ Laugh ♥ Love

MJ Schrader

Tags: blogboost, niche, unique

What is better than one tool?

How about a whole suite of tools?

You may know Mozilla as the creators of Firefox, but they have other programs as well. They actually a suite of creative applications that can be added to your Firefox or used as is in your browser. Just by visiting Aviary.com you can see the 8 tools together.

Phoenix allows you to edit images.

Roc can help you create music and can be used with Myna

Talon is a screen capture program. Capture web pages, then edit, crop, resize or mark the image.

Myna is an audio editor. Remix music or audio tracks. Record your voice and instruments or apply sound effects.

Raven conquers vectors, allowing to edit vector images online.

Falcon can quickly capture images and web pages from brower or desktop.

Peacock changes things as you see fit. This effects editor works just by pulling the effect into the mix.

Toucan allows you to use or create color swatches and palettes.

As you can guess with this many tools in one place, you could do a lot of different things. They have video tutorials and quick guides to help you get started. Knowing that you might feel overwhelmed, they also offer Frequently Asked Questions and site instructions not just instructions on the individual tools.

You can even set up and save your files online Aviary. This allows you to share and use your images and creations in more ways.

Tags: blogboost, free, images

Tags: blogboost, niche, Success

Today’s post was going to focus on blogging and in the world apart from social media and web-centric life. While this was the goal, a tweet showed up on my stream:

Apparently Wired announced the The Web Is Dead. Long Live the Internet. Well, it does not take reading that article at all to announce the web is far from dead. But let’s continue with this argument for the sake of beginners and people who worry about the future.

Wired argues that apps (meaning applications) are taking over the world. And while the internet is available on more things; think of your phone, your game console, even the DVR that streams Netflix; people are not actually on the web.

Well, first off the number of people on the web has grown substantially over the last 15 years. Then few people had dial up internet, waiting forever for the whir and pop that your connection actually reached an open line and connected. Then came broadband and cable. All 3 I got when these were fairly new and geeky phenomena.

Photo by Todd Huffman WiFi in Afghanistan

Yet now these are common and growing, as more and more people join the online community. This means that the graphics of people doing this or that on WIRED is total bunk! People AROUND THE WORLD expect to have these  connections and even better to have WiFi so we can connect where ever we are with whatever piece of technology we have with us at the time.

In this aspect, I am behind. The last job and then lack there of have kept my personal technology behind. My cell phone recently died, and I finally got a Blackberry. Since I  send daily pictures to Facebook and Posterous, I quickly got the Facebook app. “It makes Facebook easier” and takes your Blackberry from quick, back to dial up days of Internet and computing speed.

Let me assure you, I got that off  my Blackberry quicker than… well,  my boyfriend’s favorite quote. Do I really think that apps are going to take over? NO. Some people will always value quality over convenience.

Another thing is that this goes back to the fallacy pointed out in the DoFollow myth with people making certain everything they do is Google friendly. Did I find that article by visiting Wired or Nieman Journalism Lab?

No, I had never even heard of Nieman Journalism Lab. I found the article because Bill tweeted it. Since I trust Bill’s judgment and the title seemed interesting I read it. How did I find the other articles? I clicked the links included the first article.

With many articles I would read some comments to see various arguments. Someone with good points I would click their name to see their blog. Then read their articles, and comments and continue this post on for days as I again and again point out that social networking is going to keep the web growing for years to come.

And yet as I do want to continue to have posts for the rest of the week I shall end my argument here.

Speaking of social networking, join my fan page Facebook.com/LoveRockstar and Twitter Twitter.com/Loverockstar and while we are being social, visit Bill Hibbler.Com

Live ♥ Laugh ♥ Love

MJ Schrader

Bill Hibbler is a wonderful expert, who helped me create the quote I use as part of my branding.   “Making your inner rockstar shine in business and life.”    This brief sentence encapsulates who I am and what I do for you in 30 seconds.  You want to be a rockstar at least in spirit and that is my job.

Tags: blogboost, myth busting, search engine

Yesterday on Freebie Friday I mentioned Networked Blogs. As blogging is the major focus of this website I am happy to return to this subject. Networked Blogs is the application to tie your blog and Facebook together for an easy way for you and your followers to share favorite posts.

The advantage is this gives you more exposure which can increase your blog followers

Today is going to cover some steps to implement.

Add the NetworkedBlogs app to your Facebook.

From the new page, click the Add a new blog.

You will need to verify your blog. There are 2 ways to verify your blog. One get friends to say you are the blog author, which has the advantage of getting friends to subscribe and get you started towards the 20 followers. When you have 20 followers you will be listed as blog on networked blogs.

The alternative is that you copy the html code they give you and paste it somewhere on your blog. You can paste in a text widget on your blog.

If you have a fan page, visit your fan page and click the + sign. This will allow you to add a new tab, from the drop down select Networked blogs.

You can also repeat the above step on your profile.

Now your blogs will automatically post to your wall.

If you want to add a specific post to your wall click the Networked Blogs button under the status box. Then select the post you want.

To add the widget, just click widget on your blog profile page.  Select the widget you want, you have two choices.  Then select all of the code in the box.  Then go back your blog and choose widgets under appearance.    Then pull a text box over to your sidebar and paste the code into the text box.  Your widget should appear.

This will help you get more website traffic which will help grow your business.

Live ♥ Laugh ♥ Love

MJ Schrader

Tags: blogboost, installation, social media

Facebook week is coming to an end.  Next week I will probably be going back to WordPress and blogs.  This week has been extremely important to me because I know many of you have children and families, which is a far different world from business friends and potential customers and clients.

Keeping your family safe from people you do not know is why you need Personal Settings for Facebook Privacy.  Since you also want to remember (plus simplify your settings) how you know various people use Setting Up Lists on Facebook.

Today as Freebie Friday is going to cover tools to get your Facebook set up for maximum growth for you, your website and your business.

Facebook Fan Pages, this was mentioned earlier in the week with Fan Pages to Get More Traffic, but it bears repeating.  Create your fan page now.

If you already have a blog, get the Networked Blogs App.  Every person who follows your blog with Networked Blogs will see your blog in their feed.  It also makes it easier to post on your Facebook.  Once you get 20 followers you will be listed on Networked Blogs making your blog easier to find.

If you have a Twitter account, then Connect Twitter to Facebook. Every time you update your fan page, your Twitter will be updated.

And finally once you have 25 fans on your Fan page, update your Fan page name.  It takes the long Facebook web address and shortens it to http://facebook.com/LoveRockstar.

With these tips your fan base will be sure to grow.

Live ♥ Laugh ♥ Love

MJ Schrader

Tomorrow: One last look at Facebook.

Tags: blogboost, social media

Now that you have a fan page, you’ve set up your lists and privacy settings it is time to start branding you and your blog or business. Remember the number of people on Facebook is an incredible amount. There are all sorts of people, blogs, businesses, in a wide variety of styles and formats. You need to brand yourself so who you are becomes a recognizable persona.

Be consistent.

Decide on your branding strategy. Analyze how you want to be seen on Facebook and other social media sites and stay consistent to that image. Stay with the image and build it. This includes choosing links and names on media sites that is consistent with that image.

Import

With Facebook you can connect with your email accounts, and IM accounts to get contacts you already have. These are already people you know, so you can add them to your Facebook network. Also these connections may help you grow even more.

Update your status.

When you go weeks without updating your status, people wonder if they are following someone or a ghost. You can use your lists to send a personal status to friends and another status to other contacts. Use these because you want to stay in front of the public eye. Use these methods to help grow your business on Facebook.

Live ♥ Laugh ♥ Love

MJ Schrader

Tomorrow: Freebie Friday Facebook Tools

Tags: blogboost, social media

It’s another Video Wednesday!!

This video will explain how to set up lists on Facebook.  You can set lists up as to where you met your friends, how you know them, or what access level you want to give or whatever.  The people on the lists do not know what lists they are on, so no need to worry.

You can set your privacy settings to grant access to lists of people or by a person’s name.  Alternatively you can deny them access.  You can also set up or deny lists of chat access.

In case you do not catch it on the video, your friend list is by clicking account in the top right and then edit friends.  On the next page you can create lists or go to the left and choose a list to edit or delete.

Hope you enjoy!

Live ♥ Laugh ♥ Love

MJ Schrader

Tags: blogboost, social media, video

Yesterday was about getting Facebook fan pages, but you need to know how to have your regular Facebook set.  This is something that worries some excessively, and others do not even bother setting. Yet with Facebook being one of the more personal forms of social networking it is good to know some basic settings.

Settings:

Go to the far right, if your monitor is not wide screen you may have to use the slider button at the bottom of the page to see Account.  Under account you will see Privacy Settings.  Select and click.

From here you can set up who sees what on your page.  While you can choose recommended, you probably want to customize it.  At the bottom of the table choose customize settings.  Personally, for the settings of everyone, I make them friends of friends.  Their friends of friends suggestions I limit to friends.  And the Friends only setting I reduce to certain lists.

Lists will be covered tomorrow.

ON ALL OF THESE, you can choose custom which allows you to select lists or people who can see things or those people or lists who are restricted.

Beneath the table (look at the image above) select Applications and Websites, Edit Your Settings.  here you can change your settings on applications and websites on Facebook.  First scroll down to Instant personalization, then edit settings.  This shows your information on partner sites, while they say no information is shared, for many this is not a preferred situation.

Uncheck the box at the bottom of the new page.  The click back to applications.   Now the rest of the settings are personal preference.  If you want you can turn off public search which will show you on search engines, but people will still be able to find you on Facebook searches.   You will want to check each of these, and see what settings they have and then set them according to your needs.

Back to Privacy.

Now scroll back to the top to Basic Directory Information and view settings.  Here is where you can change if people can find you on Facebook and change other settings to fit your personal needs.  Most of these I have set for Friends of Friends.  Everyone can find me because I do have a business.

Then you can click Preview my Profile, this is where you will see things set up under custom.  So you can select a name you restricted or a name you granted more access.

Hope this helps!

Live ♥ Laugh ♥ Love

MJ Schrader

Tomorrow: Lists

Thursday: Photo Albums

Bonus: Personal Setting VIDEO!!

Tags: blogboost, social media